


Don't Look Away

by Stacysmash



Series: Random Rare Pairs [31]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Light Jealousy, M/M, Romance, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-06 02:33:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16379762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stacysmash/pseuds/Stacysmash
Summary: After entering his second year of college, Tanaka can finally be a senpai once again. He missed the feeling of doting on underclassmen and loved encouraging innocent first years. What he didn't expect was a certain senpai of his to demand the same kind of attention from him...Ask Challenge! Pick a rare pair + genre:Tanaka x Hanamaki and Romance





	Don't Look Away

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BGee93](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BGee93/gifts).



> Alternatively Titled: Tanaka Ryuunosuke is a good senpai  
> Thank you BGee for requesting!!! I was so excited to do this pairing that I started this fic like 3 or 4 times before I felt like it was right, lol. I hope you enjoy it :D

Energy thrummed through Tanaka’s veins as he watched the new crop of first years try out for his university team. He was thrilled to finally be a senpai once again; it was difficult the previous year joining a team as the youngest and most inexperienced player when he had just left Karasuno as the Ace and vice-captain. Thankfully his upperclassmen were kind and encouraging, never belittling him just because he was new. There were a couple familiar faces as well from Miyagi, though both had been from rival teams.

He was surprised that Semi Eita, the gifted setter and pinch server from Shiratorizawa, would have taken to him so quickly. He was reliable and mild-tempered and had a carefree way of correcting any mistakes. Their friendship was simple and clear-cut, unlike his other senpai…

“Good job, Uno!” Tanaka shouted, praising a good spike from a first year. The young man was all long limbs and a big dopey smile which was stretched to the limit from being praised.

“Thanks, Tanaka-senpai!” He spouted and loped back to the end of the line, waiting for his chance to spike again. Tanaka beamed, feeling the surge of warmth spread in his chest at being called senpai once again. He couldn’t wait to see their skills improve and buy them meat buns after a hard practice.

An arm slid over his shoulder and hooked around his neck, jarring him from his thoughts.

“Mmmm, Tanaka-senpai. It has a nice ring to it,” Hanamaki’s voice murmured in his ear. Tanaka felt the heat from his chest press into his back and shivered from his breath tickling down his neck. He turned his head slightly to glimpse up at Hanamaki, whose bored eyes were watching the drills though his lips were quirked up in the corner.

Tanaka narrowed his eyes at him; he knew Hanamaki was just trying to get a rise out of him as usual. Despite the frequent provocation by the ex-Seijoh player, they maintained a good rapport, especially on the court. They played the same position, but Hanamaki never seemed threatened by Tanaka’s skills and was always quick to give him a high-five after a good spike.

“You think so, Makki-san?” Tanaka answered, keeping a close eye on Hanamaki’s expression. The changes were usually subtle, and they were usually his only hint to what his senpai was thinking. All he received was an arched eyebrow and Hanamaki’s dark eyes meeting his.

“I do, though I have to admit I’m a little jealous.”

“What would you have to be jealous about?”

“I want you to be my senpai too! Mine were always too harsh, but you’re spoiling them rotten already.”

“I’m not spoiling them, it’s just a little encouragement!” Tanaka huffed, crossing his arms and lifting his chin in defiance. He let his gaze wander back to the first years going through their drills, yet he could see Hanamaki’s grin widen in his peripheral vision.

“Why don’t you encourage me?”

“I praise you when you do well.”

“It’s not the same though,” Hanamaki groaned, dropping his chin onto Tanaka’s shoulder. Across the court, Semi spotted them just after tossing a ball to the next freshmen. He rolled his eyes, but his attention was snatched away when the next ball came sailing toward his head. Tanaka wished he could have said something so Hanamaki would move away.

It was strange because Tanaka was always an incredibly affectionate person and was never put off by a little skinship. It was confusing why the regular temperature of Hanamaki’s body pressed into his would raise his internal temperature to volcanic levels. Or why he avoided glancing at his face from that close a distance, otherwise his eyes would linger too long as he counted the light dusting of freckles across his nose. He wished those slender fingers wouldn’t press into his chest where he could probably feel the quickening of his heart beneath his fingertips.

No, Tanaka wasn’t an idiot, he knew exactly why he was feeling those things. He just preferred to avoid it. He treasured every single one of his teammates and having such a massive crush on one could fracture the good vibes they’ve cultivated among them. It was best to just treat Hanamaki like any other upperclassmen; if only Hanamaki would treat him like any other kohai.

“Hey! I’ve got an idea,” Hanamaki said, his chin still resting on his shoulder. “Let’s play a little roleplay game, where all day you’ll be my upperclassmen for once and treat me as good as these little minions of ours. What do you say?”

“Huh? What’s the point?”

“Plenty! This is your chance to boss me around and remove all formality between us!” Hanamaki pulled away finally and tugged his shoulder to face him. His instinct was to find some way out of it, he really couldn’t figure out what Hanamaki’s intentions were. His excited expression changed Tanaka’s mind, however, his cheeks bright with a creeping blush.

“Alright, if that’s what you want.”

“Nice! I’m going to join drills. Watch me, Tanaka-senpaaaiiii!” Hanamaki cheered as he loped to the end of the line. The drills were only for the first years, getting a sense of their skill and weaknesses, but their other teammates just laughed at Hanamaki and let him join in on the fun. Tanaka couldn’t subdue his grin as he watched his _mature_ upperclassmen bounce on his toes until it finally neared his turn. Semi sent him a glare before tossing the ball for him to hit.

Tanaka felt the urge to look away, it had become almost second nature for him to do so. But he kept his eyes trained on Hanamaki as he suddenly grew serious, lunging toward the net with a perfect run up and stretched high into the air. He smacked the ball onto the court, a precise area that would have avoided the players on the other side quite nicely. There was scattered applause and snickering from the upperclassmen, but Hanamaki had eyes for only Tanaka as he rushed over to him with an idiotic grin on his face.

“How was that senpai? Praise me senpai!” He shouted, leaning forward to present his head for Tanaka to ruffle. It was so ridiculous, Tanaka sputtered with laughter and Hanamaki’s face dropped into a pout.

“Awww, don’t worry, Hanamaki-kun! That was a great spike!” He encouraged him, slipping his hand through his light brown hair that Tanaka always thought looked pink. He would never admit that he wondered if it smelled like strawberries. Regardless of its scent, it was soft and silky, and it was difficult to pull his hand away.

“Hmm, your normal name for me is cuter,” Hanamaki replied as he straightened up, rubbing his chin as he mused. “Can you call me Makki for now?”

“I-I guess so,” Tanaka answered, rubbing the back of his neck. Hanamaki looked back at him with a satisfied smile and opened his mouth to say something. He was interrupted, however, when Semi appeared beside them with a suspicious frown.

“What are you up to?” He asked Hanamaki specifically.

“Nothing. We’re just switching roles for today, Tanaka’s my senpai and I’m his kohai!”

“Why?”

“For fun.”

Semi turned his gaze to Tanaka, his face clearly communicating a certain question.

“I’m fine with it,” Tanaka answered with a shrug.

“Well, if you’re sure, but just remember, Tanaka, that this gives you full privileges to beat the shit out of him if he’s being annoying.”

“When have I ever been annoying? Wait, don’t answer that,” He said, holding his hand in front of Semi’s face when he had taken a breath to respond. Semi laughed and shook his head.

“Well, practice is over, for now, we’ll have a normal one tomorrow. Hanamaki, why don’t you help the other first years tear down the gym. Tanaka, you want to make sure he doesn’t slack off?”

“Sure! Can’t let these little underclassmen think they can get away with anything,” He laughed, jabbing his fist into Hanamaki’s arm. “Get moving, Makki!”

“Alright, Senpai, but I hope you’ll treat me to something good later,” He teased with a wink and ran across the gym to help clean up before Tanaka could respond. That was ideal since Tanaka couldn’t function for at least another minute.

“You okay?” Semi asked, grinning at Tanaka like he could read his mind. _Maybe I’m being more obvious than I thought_ , He worried.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It doesn’t really matter anyway, it’s Saturday so I’ll probably just treat him after practice and that’ll be that.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” Semi chuckled, giving him a firm pat on the back before heading to the locker rooms. Tanaka turned his gaze back to Hanamaki as he laughed with a couple of first years who were gathering up the stray balls. He needed to stop worrying so much and have fun with the game like Hanamaki was. It was difficult to rein himself back around him, and it was even worse when they were alone. Once everything was put away, he nearly invited the few first years along, but Hanamaki wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

“See you all tomorrow!” He called over his shoulder and steered Tanaka out of the gym. “So, what are you treating me to?”

“Depends what you want.”

“Hmm, I’m thirsty.”

“Then that’s easy. I’ll buy you a drink,” He said as they wandered outside, automatically moving toward the nearest vending machine.

“But that’s boring!”

“I never thought you’d be so such a high-maintenance underclassman,” Tanaka teased, bumping his shoulder into Hanamaki’s chest. Instead of retorting easily, as Hanamaki usually did, he blinked at Tanaka as if he’d lost his train of thought. “What’s wrong? You dizzy?”

“Uh, maybe a little.”

“Well, luckily I’m buying you a cool drink. Maybe you should sit down,” He said, gesturing with a nod toward a nearby bench shaded by a tree. Hanamaki didn’t answer but nodded as he slid away from Tanaka. He watched his back for a moment, wondering if he said something wrong but Hanamaki didn’t appear to be upset, just a little thrown off.

He perused the list of drinks until he found one he often saw Hanamaki drinking and purchased two, one for himself as well. When he turned back to Hanamaki, he seemed lost in thought as he slouched against the back of the bench. His cheeks still seemed a little flushed and without thinking Tanaka gently nudged the cool drink against the side of his face.

“Are you hot?”

Hanamaki sighed as he leaned further against the cool can and gave him a sly grin.

“Well, I wouldn’t call _myself_ hot, but from what I’ve heard—”

“Pfft, drink this. Maybe the coolness will deflate your head a little.”

“Thanks, _Senpai_ ,” Hanamaki cooed back as he opened the drink to take a sip without removing the grin from his lips. The look made Tanaka’s heart stutter and he coughed as he sat down next to him to drink his own.

They sat in silence as the campus took on a serene quality in the late afternoon. The sun was at the point in the sky when it gives everything a golden hue and he stole a glance next to him to see the light shimmering across Hanamaki’s pensive expression in fragmented patterns as it filtered through the leaves above them.

It was supposed to be a quick look, so he wouldn’t be caught, but Tanaka found that he couldn’t tear his eyes away, even when Hanamaki’s eyes flickered over to him. He flinched when their eyes connected, and his mind scrambled to think of something to say to pass it off.

“Uh, it’s getting a little late.”

“Late for what? Not your bedtime I hope.”

Tanaka snorted and finally looked away from Hanamaki’s teasing grin.

“Nah, I just meant it’s almost dinner time.”

“Oh, I guess you’re right. Wanna go grab something, Senpai?”

“You just want me to treat you again.”

Hanamaki laughed and leaned against Tanaka, setting his head on his shoulder.

“Nah, I can pay for my own this time, I just felt like eating with you.”

Tanaka checked his drink to make sure there was no caffeine in it. There was none, which meant his heart racing in his chest was completely Hanamaki’s fault.

“Well, you’re gonna have to get off me if we’re gonna go.”

The weight lifted from his shoulder, but the heat remained as a breath grazed against his ear.

“What are you hungry for, Senpai?” Hanamaki whispered. It was soft, and his breath was warm, and it shouldn’t have sent his body into chaos with just a few words. It was too much for Tanaka to handle, and it felt like he had finally snapped.

“Makki-san, why are you doing this?” He groaned, inching away from Hanamaki so he could pin him with a serious look. To his surprise, Hanamaki seemed thrown off by the direct question as if he hadn’t expected Tanaka to react that way.

“What do you mean, are you not having fun?”

“A little, you know. You’re cute-- I mean, _it’s_ cute, you acting like my underclassmen, but I feel like it’s more than that.”

Hanamaki gulped as his shoulders hunched slightly. It was odd, Tanaka had never seen him look so nervous, especially around him.

“It… might be more than that,” Hanamaki began, averting his eyes as his cheeks began to brighten.

“It is?”

“Yeah, ok, you caught me! I was just a little jealous.”

“You really were jealous of the first years?!”

“Ugh, not exactly,” He said, rubbing his thumb and fingers over his closed eyelids. “Last year it was fun having most of your attention, but now you’re all about your cute little kohais! You hardly even spoke to me at our last practice, what was that about?”

Tanaka remembered exactly what it was about. It had been a couple weeks since he had seen Hanamaki last, and even that brief amount of time away made him unexpectedly nervous to see him again. He swore there were sparkles around Hanamaki’s head when he wandered out of the locker room, and his heart was rattling in his chest like a recorded drum cadence in fast forward.

It never occurred to him that his avoidance would be noticed by Hanamaki, let alone that it would bother him. He stared at him in wonder, finally putting together the clues that perhaps he wasn’t alone in his blossoming feelings. Even sitting there in a pout as he gazed down at his drink, Hanamaki looked adorable. Even if he was Tanaka’s upperclassmen, he wanted to spoil him rotten.

“I’m sorry, Makki-san. I didn’t mean to ignore you. To make it up to you, how about I do buy you dinner. And maybe after we can watch a movie in my room? I’m in a single, so we wouldn’t be bothering any roommate.”

“Are you asking me out on a date?” Hanamaki asked hesitantly. Tanaka observed his widening smile closely, making sure there was no hint of teasing before grinning himself.

“Well, yeah! If that’s okay. It is the easiest way to lavish you with attention without pretending you’re my kohai.”

Hanamaki pressed his lips tight, which seemed to make his cheeks look even brighter. He shrugged his shoulders and knocked his knee playfully against Tanaka’s.

“You’re right, this is probably a more appropriate way for me to hoard all of your attention. Come on, sooner we eat, the sooner we can make-out on your bed,” He giggled as he snatched Tanaka’s hand and yanked him off the bench.

Tanaka thought they probably looked ridiculous, smiling like fools with faces as red as tomatoes while looking in the opposite direction from each other. He didn’t mind, it had been torture restraining himself around Hanamaki. It was a relief that he could be himself once again and he no longer had to hide how crazy he was about his senpai.

He glanced up to observe Hanamaki’s expression, to get a slight hint of what he was feeling. His instinct was to look away, but no longer because he didn’t want to get caught. Hanamaki’s smile was too bright and beautiful to stare at for too long. Tanaka couldn’t believe his upperclassmen would be so cute, humming a little tune as his gait had a little bounce to it. Hanamaki glanced his way when he realized he was staring and arched an eyebrow suspiciously.

“What is it?”

“You’re cute,” Tanaka said without hesitation. It was worth the honesty, seeing Hanamaki hide his blushing face with his other hand.

“Tanaka, you can stop the doting senpai act. I got what I wanted anyway,” He said, giving his hand a little squeeze.

“It’s not a senpai act. It’s a ‘finally getting a date with my crush’ thing, so you’ll probably have to get used to it.”

Hanamaki laughed, leaning forward as he gripped his stomach with his other hand. As the laughter dwindled into amused giggles, he leaned down and nuzzled against the side of Tanaka’s head until his lips hovered beside his ear.

“I look forward to it.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Was it fluffy enough for you? ;)


End file.
